Valve for internal-combustion engines



Dec. 24, 1929. D. G. F. WHITE 1,740,758

VALVE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed NOV. 28 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet1 Dec. 24,] 929. p, w n- 1,740,758

k VALVE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES 4 Filed Nov. 28. 19283,Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec, 2 4,, 1929. D. G. F. WHITE 1,740,758

VALVE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Nov. 28. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet3 III/I/I/I/I/i t):

XX! XXX;

Patented Dec. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALVE FORINTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Application filed November 28, 1928, SerialNo. 322,485, and in Great Britain November 24, 1827.

This invention relates to valves of the rotary type suitable forinternal combustion engines and the like.

The invention may be applied to internal combustion engines working onthe twoor four-stroke cycles, of the so-called constant volume type orof the Diesel or semi-Diesel class.

' An object of the present invention is to provide an improved valvedevice which is adapted to overcome many ofthe known defects attendantupon the various poppet, sleeve and other valves at present in use, andto obviate the troubles which arise in connection therewith while at thesame time to produce a valve which may be manufactured cheaply and iscalculated to afford increased eiliciency, reliability and length oflife.

The invention'broadly comprises a ported sleeve member having achambered core member with which it co-operates for control purposes bythe aid of relative rotary motion.

A further feature of the invention consists in the provision of a fixedcore around which the sleeve member is adapted to move in bearings, thearrangement being such that the sleeve relies for its support or bearingsurface neither upon the core nor upon the outer casing for the sleeve.

A further feature of the invention resides in the cut-ofi and sealingfunctions of the valve with regard to the combustion chamber, which corise in the first instance a double cut-oil action and in the secondinterception by sealing rings of the piston type. In the preferred formthe sleeve ports on opposite sides of the valve sleeve are staggered ordisplaced axially and separated or intercepted by a piston ring (orrings) and may also possess angular displacement from the diametricposition.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which Fi ure1 is a sectional view of an engine cylin der head showing my improvedvalve applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1. v

Figure 3 is a section taken on 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an end view of a cylinder head partly broken away showing anoverhead gear drive.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of my invention applied to anengine having a pair of cylinders.

Figure 6 is an end view taken on line 66 of Figure 5.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 wherein my invention is shown in itsapplication to a fourstroke engine, the valve devices indicatedgenerally at 1, 1 are in unit form, the cylinder head 2 is cast with apair of throughway cylindrical chambers 3 each adapted to receive one ofthe valve units. In the form shown the valve unit 1 is designed forexhaust and the unit 1 for inlet and are disposed with their axesarranged at an angle to the axial plane common to a crankshaft for aplurality of cylinders.

For convenience and as the units are in the present example duplicatesone of the other, only one (say that for inlet) of the pair will bedescribed.

The cylindrical chamber 3 communicates on the one hand, with thecombustion space 4 of the engine through a suitable port or opening and,on the other hand, communicates through a similar opening with theinduction pipe of the engine. This cylindrical chamber is adapted toaccommodate a cylindrical core 5 which is provided with trunnions 6 ateach end adapted to be rigidly mounted in end caps 7 or other supportmeans which may also conveniently form a closure for the cylindricalchamber.

The core member 5 is provided through its body with a transferpassageway 8 arranged obliquely and terminating on one side with whatmay be called a passage cylinder port 9 to the cylinder, and on theother with what may be termed the passage inlet port 10, the formerbeing more or less in register with the opening in the combustion space4 of the engine cylinder and the latter adapted t communicate with theinlet pipe or chamber 11. This oblique arrangement causes these twopassages or ports to be staggered or displaced axially with respect toone another. The amount of axial displacement is prefercirculation ofwater or other cooling medium,

the circulation preferably being effected by forming the trunnionshollow and providing suitable connections 13 with the circulating systemof the engine. The core member 5 is arranged coaxially with thecylindrical chamber in the cylinder head and its dimensions are such asto leave an annular clearance between it and the wall of the cylindricalchamber. This space is adapted to receive a sleeve 14 which may behereinafter referred to as the valve sleeve.

In addition to the axial displacement of the passage cylinder port 9 andthe passage inlet port 10, these ports may also be displaced angularlywith respect to the diametric plane, that is to say, the transferpassage may be symmetrical about a diametric plane of the core but it ispreferred that it should be bent so that the ports in question aredisplaced angularly with respect to the diametric plane with a view toaffording a more tortuous path for any gases tending to escape throughclearances.

Towards each end this valve sleeve is adapted to be supported on ball,roller or other bearings 15 which may be conveniently mounted upon thetrunnions 6 of the core member 5. Towards one side the sleeve 14 mayhave an extension 16 of smaller diameter which may serve as a mountingfor the bevel or other gear wheel 17 through which the sleeve may berevolved in the appropriate manner according to the cycle of the engine.Obviously any suitable toothed, worm gearing or other form of drive mayalternatively be applied to operate the valve sleeve.

A convenient arrangement for effecting such drive is shown in Figure 4in which a helical gear 18 is employed for revolving both valves, thegear being mounted on a spindle 19 driven by a vertical shaft 20'havingat its lower end a bevel gear 21 meshing with a second gear 22 rotatedby the crank Shaft 23. 5

The dimensions of the sleeve 14, the core member 5 and cylindricalchamber 3 are so related that between the core member and the sleeve,and between the sleeve member and the cylindrical chamber in thecylinder head, a small clearance is provided of the order of a fewthousandths of an inch, so that the sleeve member does not rotate inactual contact either with the core or with the cylindrical chamber butfloats between them.

The valve device may be sealed by means of piston or other springsealing rings, such as 24, the outer surface of the valve sleeve beingpreferably formed with a series of circum erential grooves each of whichis adapted to receive one or more sealing rings and it is preferred thatthe arrangement'should be such that these piston rings contact and makea secure joint with the wall of the cylindrical chamber and do notrotate, relative motion occurring between the piston ring and the valvesleeve. Alternatively or additionally, the cylindrical chamber and/orthe core,

may .be provided with piston rings. A piston ring or a group of pistonrings is arranged in a pair of planes and as shown these are locatedupon each side of the port 8 or openin to the cylinder, one piston ring(or one group bein arranged in the marginal band referred to a ove.

The valve sleeve is provided with ports 25 disposed axially andcircumferentially to register with the ports of the transfer passage 8at the appropriate and redetermined times for the purpose of the eye c.

It will be appreciated that the position of the piston rings .asindicated above, isolates the combustion space of the engine andprevents the escape of gas either axially or circumferentially and thateven were a leakage to take place past the rings, gas would have totraverse an extended and tortuous path. Furthermore,it will be observedthat the con trol to and from the cylinder is a double one in thatcut-off occurs on both sides of the core passage, viz, between thesleeve ports 25 and the passage cylinder port 9 on the one hand and thepassage inlet port 10 on the other.

The invention is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 as applied to afour-stroke engine having a pair of cylinders 26, 27, the same generalprinciples of construction applying as already described above. In thiscase, however, the valves shown generally at 28 for the two cylindersare according to one form combined in a single structure. The coremember 29 is integral and is located and extends over both cylinders,being arranged with its axis in the axial plane common to the twocylinders. The core is provided with inlet passages 30 and exhaustpassages 31 for both cylinders, that is to say with two pairs of inletand exhaust passages.

Similarl the valve sleeve 32 is integral and provi ed with correspondinginlet ports 30' and exhaust 30 for the two cylinders. Each cylinder isprovided with inlet openings 32 and exhaust openings or apertures 33 atthe upper extremity of the combustion chamber separated from one anotherby a bridge piece 34. The inlet and exhaust transfer passages 30, 31 inthe core part'for one engine cylinder are arranged obliquely in oppositesense so that from one aspect they may be said to diverge from oneanother towards the induction side. The inlet and exhaust ports 30, 30respectively are adapted to register with openings of the inlet andexhaust transfer passages 30, 31 respectively of the core at theappropriate times. Piston rings 35 or groups of rings%) may be providedas iereinbefore descri ed. For example,piston rings 36 may be arrangedin the planes of the bridge piece 34 and of the marginal band.Additional piston rings 36 may be provided towards the extremities ofthe core member 29. or elsewhere.

The arrangement above described with reference to a pair of cylindersmay be equally applied or extended for four or more cyl- 1n ers.

In most applicationsof the invention it will be found, owing to theclearancesreferred to, that the valve sleeve may be run without speciallubrication but in some circumstances it ma be preferred to introduce afilm of 011 in t ese clearances whlch may serve as a lubricantand anaddltional sea said sleeve, said sleeve and said core member havingstaggered inlet and exhaust ports, packing rings arranged on said sleevebetween adjacent inlet and exhaust ports, packing rings arranged on saidcore member between adjacent inlet and exhaust ports and trunnion meansfor suppporting said sleeve and said core, said sleeve being driven bymeans mounted independently of said trunnion means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

DQEJGLAS GEORGE FISHER WHITE.

If this be reguired the oil may be introduced through a not leading tothe cylindrical chamber out of register with the control ports but inregister, if desired, with oil ports in the valve sleeve.

Several examples of modes of carryin the invention into effect have beenshown an described but it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in these respects. It will be appreciated that the invention maybe carried into effect in a great variety of ways and many combinationsmay be effected. For example, one valve device or unitmay have bothinlet and exhaust passages adapted to serve one or a series or block ofcylinders.

The invention may be applied to Diesel engines for controlling inletand/or exhaust. Further, it will be appreciated that the portarrangement or order longitudinally of the core member, that is to say,the sequence,

viz, inlet, exhaust, inlet etc., may constitute any Variationappropriate to the design of the engine or conditions desired.

The ports may be of any appropriate area or shape to afiord the mostefiicient condi tions and to accord with the motion imparted to thesleeve.

I claim:

1. Valve means for internal combustion engines comprising a valvechamber, a sleeve within said chamber but disposed with slight clearancetherefrom, a stationary core membcr disposed with slight clearanceWithin said sleeve, said sleeve and said core having staggered inlet andexhaust ports, packing rings arranged on said core member betweenadjacent inlet and exhaust ports, and trun nion means for supportingsaid sleeve independently of said core and said chamber.

2. Valve means for internal combustion engines comprising a valvechamber, a sleeve within said chamber but disposed with slight clearancetherefrom, a stationary core member disposed with slight clearanceWithin

